Three bills attacking parental rights, religious freedom and the sanctity of human life will become law unless Colorado Governor Jared Polis vetoes them. If signed into law, they would dramatically expand the government’s power over our families, our schools and the right to life.
No matter where you stand politically, Coloradans who value parental rights, free speech, religious liberty and the sanctity of life should be paying attention.
Free Speech and Religious Liberty in Schools
HB26-1141, ironically titled “Discriminatory Practices in Public Schools,” would discriminate against students, teachers and staff for expressing sincerely held religious beliefs regarding sexuality, marriage or sex.
The bill would expand Colorado’s anti-discrimination laws and create a grievance process for complainants to make allegations of discrimination in education settings.
Supporters say the bill protects vulnerable students from being discriminated against.
But critics like the Colorado Catholic Conference (CCC) contend this bill could chill speech and undermine the First Amendment by treating traditional beliefs as discrimination.
Faith leaders are concerned students, teachers and staff could face discrimination complaints for simply verbally expressing their faith-based views on marriage, human sexuality and the sanctity of human life.
According to CCC, for instance, the law could prohibit student groups expressing faith aligned beliefs.
“…Organizations such as Students for Life, Justice for All and Turning Point USA may be prohibited from speaking on abortion and human sexuality on college campuses if their positions oppose the state definition,” the organization wrote in Denver Catholic.
“Pro-life organizations also may not be allowed to promote life-affirming alternatives to abortion on college campuses.”
Parental Rights
HB26-1309, deceptively titled “Abuse in Cases of Separation,” would target caring parents for directing the upbringing of their children.
The bill prohibits parents from exercising “coercive control” over their children. It defines “coercive control” as “a pattern of behavior that takes away the individual’s liberty or freedom and strips away the individual’s sense of self, including the individual’s bodily integrity and human rights.”
According to the bill text, coercive control of a child could include telling a child they cannot see certain friends, monitoring where they go, managing their bank account, limiting access to services, limiting screentime, prohibiting certain websites and even monitoring their text messages and emails.
Failing to affirm a child’s sexual identity confusion would also fall under the law’s definition of coercive control.
The expansive scope of this bill would create unprecedented grounds for a court to strip away parental rights.
Sanctity of Human Life
HB26-1335 will require colleges and universities to carry and dispense abortion pills on campus through a student health center or an on-site pharmacy or submit a prescription for abortion pills to an off-site pharmacy.
Though the bill includes an exception for religious colleges and universities, it is a clear attempt to normalize and institutionalize abortion in taxpayer-supported education systems.
If it becomes law, the bill will violate preborn children’s right to life.
Abortion pills account for 63% of abortions committed in the United States each year.
A study released last May by the Ethics and Public Policy Center revealed that nearly 11% of women who take the abortion pill experienced serious side effects within 40 days, including sepsis, hemorrhaging, infection and emergency room visits. Those numbers are 22 times higher than the FDA’s current label.
Interestingly, new data shows 70% of Americans support increased oversight for the distribution and consumption of chemical abortion pills like mifepristone.
If it becomes law, Colorado will become one of only six states (including California, New York, Massachusetts, Delaware and Illinois) to require colleges and universities to provide access to abortion pills.
Call to Action
Coloradans still have a voice, but the window is closing.
If you believe in free speech, religious freedom, parental rights and the right to life, now is the time to speak up.
Contact Governor Polis and urge him to veto HB26-1141, HB26-1309 and HB26-1335.
Tell him Colorado should protect families, not weaken parental rights; protect religious freedom, not chill speech; and protect life, not expand abortion.
The future of Colorado depends on citizens willing to stand for freedom before it’s too late.